I See Fire
by tobeawallflower
Summary: She has a complicated past and some very destructive powers that she struggles to live with, a member of the Avengers, a pyrotechnic young woman has to face a difficult decision as the Sokovia Accords come into play. "They call me Ares for a reason, God of War? He was known to be a savage, destructive and untamed - just like me" (Set during CW)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One - The Sokovia Accords

Manhattan was bustling full of people as usual and I'd had managed to navigate my way from store to store, slowly but surely pilling up the purchases I'd made, a small perk from Tony – money. Call it retail therapy; I had gotten at least 3 new pairs of shoes, 2 purses, several pieces of jewelry – thank you Harry Winston and a nice collection of dresses and that's just half of what I bought.

I started to head back to my car, it was the new Tesla with a few tweaks here and there made by Tony to suit the needs of The Avengers. The sleek blood red color was one for attention so I wasn't surprised when I saw a teenage boy lingering around and staring at the vehicle in awe. I pulled out her keys, unlocking the car and automatically opening the trunk. The young boy turned and I caught his attention.

"Nice car" he sighed wistfully only stare back at the car.

"Thanks – how long you have you been standing there? Not plannin' on stealing it are you?" I joked after storing my bags away in the trunk, I looked at him from behind my aviator sunglasses and analyzed him to see if he posed a threat or not – something I learned from one of my mentors, Natasha Romanoff.

"Oh no- no of course not, just admiring…" he blushed, finally turning around to look at me properly – he's that Spider kid Tony was telling me about. I couldn't help but let out a small smirk, he seemed like a sweet kid, he sported a worn down hoodie, printed t shirt and skinny jeans with converse adorning his feet – a big contrast to my freshly pressed, designer attire.

"You gonna stand there all day or what?" I asked while the trunk closed itself

"Uh…yeah…I mean no! No…uh sorry" he fumbled, nearly tripping over his own two feet, for a newbie superhero he sure is clumsy

"You don't sound too sure" I smiled, sliding my ray bans up to rest on my head revealing my green eyes

"no- no I'm sure, I'm totally, totally sure" he nodded, his gelled hair bouncing slightly and moving out of place

"Alright then, well see you around kid" I took my seat behind the wheel and rolled down the window to look at him

"yeah bye" he smiled

I smiled back before, sliding my sunglasses back on and pulling out on to the traffic jammed roads of New York only to catch him wave through the rear view mirror.

So that's Spider-Man? He's just a kid.

Traffic was slow but I headed up to the Avengers base soon enough, parking the car in the garage and hauling all my things to my room, my heels clicking against the floor with each step. I kicked open my door before slamming it behind me with my foot due to both hands being outrageously full, I quickly dumped all my bags in my already full closet along with the other bags of new items from my previous shopping trip – I needed a lot of retail therapy…

I turned on the TV switching to the news only to find an update on our latest mission in Lagos

"11 Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month – the traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission when the attack occurred" the reporter announced

"Our people's blood was spilled on foreign soil, not only because of actions of criminals but by the indifference of those pledged to stop them – victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all" The Wakandan king spoke for his people, which just added to the guilt that I've been carrying since Sokovia.

Knocks sounded at my door taking my attention away from the news to Natasha who stood in the door way "Starks back" she said, staring me down "You been shopping?" her eyes went to my open closet that was over flowing with my extensive collection of full shopping bags.

"What's new?" I shrugged, slipping off my red Louboutin's to ease my aching feet

"Come on, we have a visitor" she said before leaving my door way

I followed soon enough, walking beside her barefoot, as we made our way down the hall "Who?" I asked

"The Secretary of State" I could almost hear the disdain in her voice, we knew this had to be important, not that I knew much about politics but it always seemed to stir trouble in my eyes.

"Well this can't be good" I sighed, nothing ever good came from when we were dealing with the government – the missile in New York and Hydra infiltrating SHIELD are just a few issues that come to mind.

Eventually we were all sat in the meeting room, Wanda looking solemn, Vision who I still think looks strange wearing normal clothes, Steve who was flanked by Natasha and I and of course Sam and Rhodey and Tony sat at the very back, keeping to himself which I found unusual since he loves being the centre of attention.

The secretary of state radiated an aurora of authority, his graying blonde hair perfectly swept and his suit pressed to Italian perfection, not to mention his perfect posture that never seemed to falter thanks to his many years of service in the army.

"Oh…5 years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my batting swing" he began to explain his story, "Turned out, it was the best round of my life because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass. I found something 40 years in the army never taught me: Perspective" he explains this, staring down at us, I glanced at Tony over my shoulder but he didn't take his eyes off the man in front "The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You've... fought for us. Protected us. Risked your lives. While a great many people see you as heroes. There are some... who would prefer the word "vigilantes."

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asked

"How about dangerous?" my eyebrows rose at this accusation "what would you call a group of US based enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign boarders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind"

"Unconcerned? You really think we're unconcerned? That we don't give a shit?" I asked back at him, my manicured nails rhythmically tapping lightly on the mahogany table

"Rose, don't" Natasha warned me from Steve's other side

"No, Tasha- Mr. Secretary to say you think we have no concern for the consequences of our actions is uncalled for and frankly untrue, we care deeply for the world which is why we do what we do" I argued

"Is that so Miss Duchenne? Then how do you explain this?" he turned to a that screen appeared behind him showing footage of our missions "New York" Chitarie tearing down buildings, the Hulk smashing through a building "Washington DC" buildings going up in flames, the SHIELD carrier crashing into the water, flooding over civilians "Sokovia" people running for their lives, the ground rising to the air causing building to collapse crushing anything beneath it "Lagos" smoke and flames pouring out of buildings that I try to contain as bodies are being moved.

Through this entire display, he kept his cold eyes on me, taunting me with the consequences of our actions "That's enough" Steve called, breaking his stare and switching off the screen.

"For the past 4 years, you operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution" he is handed a large document, pristine and white which he hands to Wanda "The Sokovia accords. Approved by 117 countries. It states, that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations Panel, only when and if that Panel deems it necessary"

"What?" I was stunned – The Avengers under government supervision?

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place, I feel like we've done that" Steve comments as Secretary Ross makes his way over to him

"Tell me Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground" Secretary Ross tries to assure us but I don't buy it, not one bit.

"You're not seriously comparing Bruce and Thor to nuclear weapons are you?" I scoff

"Bruce has control and is safe! Trust me if he wasn't then he'd be hard to miss and as for Thor? He's a GOD from Asgard! It's not like I can send him a quick message to have a coffee and catch up!" I was controlling myself best I could but that didn't stop my fingertips from blackening the table top where I touched it, thankfully it was fire proof – Tony learned his lesson after these years around me and most of the furniture in here had that upgrade. I knew I was causing a scene but I didn't care, he was testing my patience, insulting my friends, degrading us, I would've continued my rant had Rhodey not cut me off.

"So, there are contingencies?" he tried to divert the attention away from the unstable young adult

"Three days from now the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the accords. Talk it over" he left us with the document and began to leave

"And if we come up with a decision you don't like?" Natasha asked

"Then you retire" he answered "And 21 is a pretty young age to retire, don't you think Miss _Sinclair_?" he emphasized by former surname making a chill go down my spine.

Steve placed his hand on my shoulder, a show of comfort to distract me from Secretary Ross and his last words. I turned to face the super soldier and smiled slightly, we'd grown a lot closer since the incident in Washington, Natasha too.

Tony stood and made his way out of the meeting room, the rest of us following him to the private levels where most of us lived and towards one of the kitchens.

"You shouldn't have done that" Natasha whispered to me as we walked side by side, the accords in her hands.

"Well I did" I quipped, not looking her in the eyes but keeping them trained on the man in front of me, Tony's back was stiff, unyielding, something was wrong.

"Wasn't a smart move kid" Steve replied, walking beside Natasha and taking the accords from her as we turned to enter the kitchen.

Tony immediately flopped down on one of the gold couches, his hand covering his face. Wanda and Vision shared the couch opposite and Steve took a seat to the right, Natasha sitting opposite him, her back to the island. I, however, went straight to the snack cupboard, grabbing a bag of hot Cheetos, choosing to sit on a stool behind the island and watching as Sam and Rhodey began an argument that we all saw coming.

"I can't believe that he said we don't care-"I muttered, tearing open my bag of junk food

"Well to be honest, as much as I hate to say it, to the public that's probably what it looks like" Natasha answered, turning slightly to face me from the other side of the counter.

"Look just because we're 'enhanced' doesn't mean we're not people, we have feelings, we hurt, we feel pain – we're human too just with a few upgrades" I snapped back, I was offended and my pride was hurt but seeing Wanda nod slightly in agreement made me smirk a little.

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is 1 more than you have" Rhodey argued with Sam, they both stood to the side as I turned my attention to them and watched.

"So, let's say we agree on this thing. How long is it gonna be before they lo-jack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam bit back

"A 117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, "No, it's cool."

"How long are you going to play both sides?"

"I have an equation" Vision spoke up

"Oh, well this'll clear it up" the sarcasm clear in Sam's voice as we all turned to face the red man in J-Crew, including Steve who was reading through the accords.

"In the 8 years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commissive rate" he explained

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve looked almost insulted

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight. Oversight is not an idea that could be dismissed out-of-hand"

"Boom" Rhodey finished as if that we're to justify everything

"Tony…you're being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal" Natasha turned to look at the billionaire who was still sprawled on the gold couch

"That's because he's already made up his mind" Steve put in

"Boy, you know me so well" I looked at Tony, seeing the frustration written all over his face, he's tired and it's not hard to miss, he moved over to the sink to grab a cup of coffee "Actually, I'm nursing my electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain... it's discomfort" he stares into the sink before turning once again to all of us.

"Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" he stops next to me and sighs before dropping his phone in the fruit basket and pulling up a hologram photograph of a young African American teenager.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree. 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig. An Intel plan for the fall" as he poured his coffee I could see where this is going, I couldn't even touch my Cheetos "But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul. Before he parks it behind the desk. See the world, maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer, building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia" my stomach dropped, I put down my bag of Cheetos and began picking at my manicured nails as a distraction from the guilt that just seemed to build-up inside "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass" I hid my face with my dark hair, my head down in shame – Sokovia was a terrible day for us all.

"There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, we're boundless, we're no better than the bad guys"

"Tony, if someone dies you don't just give up" Steve tried to clear the air but it was useless, Tony was stubborn and persuasive, no good could come from this

"Who says we're giving up?"

"We are, for not taking responsibility for our actions. These documents just shifts the blame"

"Can I just remind you that SHIELD was overseen by the World Security Council" I sighed, trying to make my point "which I believe was made up of a group of politicians from the world's most powerful countries and they decided it was a good idea to send a missile to New York which then resulted in Tony having to fly up into a space portal and can I just add that for quite some time while still under the authority of that council which was government based, SHIELD had been infiltrated by HYDRA the entire time– this doesn't give me a reason to trust them at all" I finished, seething.

"I'm sorry Steve, Rose but that... That is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the world security council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA" Rhodey pointed out, looking thoroughly disappointed in me. Though Rhodey didn't understand, he wasn't in Washington the day SHIELD fell. I was.

"The point is, it's run by people with agendas and agendas change" Steve added, I nodded in agreement, ever since Washington and what SHIELD or HYDRA tried to do to me, I could no longer look at the world the same.

"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing them" Tony explained as he walked over to stand by the Captain. We all knew what Stark Industries was and what it had become, there was a large difference between the two.

"Don't understand why you started manufacturing them in the first place" I muttered

"Tony. You chose to do that. If we sign these, we surrender our right to choose. What if this Panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go, what if it's somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us. We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own" Steve tried to reason with him

"If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later. That's a fact. That won't be pretty"

"You're saying they'll come for me?" Wanda clarified, I turned to look at my friend- she's been through a lot, I knew everyone in this room would protect her at all costs.

"We'll protect you" Vision assured her

"Maybe Tony's right, if we still have one hand on the wheel maybe we can still steer" the assassin added, agreeing with the billionaire which surprised not just me

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss our ass a few years ago?" Sam tried to clarify, questioning her new motives

"I'm just…reading the terrain, we have made some very public mistakes. We need to win our trust back"

"Focus up. I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me." And Tony's back, I rolled my eyes along with Natasha.

"Oh, I want to take it back"

"No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. I'm impressed by what you did. Okay, case closed. I win"

"I have to go" Steve interjected, his comment ignored by the Iron man and myself

"Yeah like that solves everything" I rolled my eyes, still picking at my manicure

"Well what do you know Rosie?" he snapped turning on me which surprised everyone in the room for a moment, he took a deep breath he continued his verbal assault "You don't know anything; all you've been doing is shopping, mindlessly wasting time! Just skipping around New York as if nothing is going on, like nothing ever happened – hey life's great, la de da – bullshit" leaving his coffee on the table he made his way back over to me "So while you're in your own merry little world with my money, by the way, we're all here in the real world – when you joined this team you were given a responsibility to protect humanity at all costs but what have you got to show for it? New shoes? Grow up kid, people are dying out there and it's our fault" he's demeanor had faltered, Tony had been through a lot but we all have. I could see his arrogant façade cracking as he stared at me, his eyes betrayed him – he wasn't angry, just like Rhodey he was disappointed. From Rhodey I could take it but Tony? I never wanted to disappoint Tony.

I'd never argued with Tony before – it's always him and Steve at each other's necks and I was just a bystander, an observer – but now I had caught myself in his iron jaws and felt hopeless. His stare never left mine till I walked away, leaving my untouched bag of Cheetos behind.

"That wasn't cool man" Sam pointed out as I left the room

I knew I was acting like a pouty child but I didn't know how else to react. Everything he said was true, not that I wanted to admit that.

FLASHBACK

"Rose! Le diner est pret!" the red headed woman called upstairs to her teenage daughter who no doubt couldn't actually hear her due to the ear buds shoved deep in her ears, music blasting.

 _I see fire, inside the mountain_

 _I see fire, burning the trees_

 _I see fire, hollowing souls_

 _I see fire, blood in the breeze_

 _And I hope that you remember me_

The girl was sprawled across her bed, bare feet dangling off the edge of the mattress, her phone in her face, the screen illuminating her features. She quietly sang along to the music till she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Oui?" she called out

"Rose! Peux-tu m'entendre?" her mother stood in the doorway, hands on her hips and her bangs falling over her eyes as she looked down at her daughter impatiently.

"Sorry mom" the girl smirked, taking out her earbuds and sitting up to face her mother

"I said le diner est pret – tu n'ecoutes jamais" the two pairs of green eyes met as she scolded her daughter and ushered her out of her room.

The two made their way to the table where dinner had been set out on the small dining table that fit the two of them. Sitting in their usual places they began to do what they'd do every Sunday on the mother's day off, have a nice 'family' dinner. A comfortable silence fell between the two, occasionally questions were asked such as "How was your day?" "Anything interesting happen at school?" the silence didn't' bother them as they appreciated the company.

The bungalow was quaint, big enough for the two and easy to keep up with bill wise, money isn't always easy as a single parent. Two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and shared bathroom, it was all they needed and they were happy. They had each other and they wouldn't have it any other way, yet someone else begged to differ.

A loud knock at the door broke the silence in the house, the mother getting up and walking across the kitchen to check the peep hole. What would've been an ordinary Sunday evening was ruined by one man.

"Rose, go to your room" her mother tone was firm and yet quiet, she also spoke in English which was something she only did when Rose was in trouble or if something was wrong "and be quiet"

Rose stood from her seat carefully and quietly, her bare feet padding across the hardwood floor silently. She turned to close her bedroom door and as she did the loud knocking began again.

"Celine? I know you're there" a harsh, gruff voice echoed from the door way – Rose could just pick it up. Her heart sank as she recognized the voice of her father.

Her mother stayed silent yet the knocks turned into bangs, his fist pounding against the door with a terrible force and each hit made Rose more and more anxious.

"CELINE OPEN THE GOD DAMMED DOOR!" he roared from the other side of the wood, Celine shook nervously as she stood by the door, praying that he'd leave "Celine, let me in!" her prayers weren't answered.

"Go away, Rodger! You're violating your restraining order!" her mother bit back, her voice just as harsh. Rose knew her mother was a force to be reckoned with.

"Fuck the restraining order, let me in Celine!" he yelled, his fists repeatedly banging against the wood, rattling the frame.

"No!" she snapped "Leave or I'll call the police" she threatened, her hands clenched fists at her side.

There was a moment of silence. Rose – in her room felt her anxiety slowly ebb away till she heard the voice once more "Please Cel" he begged, using the nickname he'd given her mother when they started dating "Please, let me see my Rosie" his voice softer, cracking almost – despite this, it didn't calm Rose at all.

"You know I can't do that Rodger, please just go" her mother attempted once more to be rid of the man that plagued her and her daughter's life.

There was silence once more

"She's my daughter too" he growled, any softness from his voice previously had vanished. A loud bang sounded – a gun shot.

Rose peeked through the gap in her door and saw that he'd shot the lock off, allowing him entry into their little bungalow. Her mother jumped back in shock, only for the door to be slammed open and a large burly man marches through.

Celine was hit by the stench of tobacco and alcohol – of course, he'd been drinking, no surprise there but what did surprise her was the small black gun in his hand. After every attempt to take Rose away from her, he'd never used a weapon. Force? Yes! But never a gun, till now.

His dark eyes were clouded and red, his pupils dilated, clearly, he was intoxicated, his large frame wobbled slightly as the alcohol took control of his body, leaving him unbalanced. His gray and green plaid shirt was buttoned up half way, stained and left untucked from his cargo pants.

His eyes locked on his former lover and he marched over to her, Celine's eyes widened as she backed into the dining table, her hand slowly and inconspicuously grasping a nearby fork.

"Where is she?" he demanded, standing tall over the woman, his eyes darted over to the table noticing two place settings. So she was still in the house? His eyes then moved to the bedroom door that had been left open ever so slightly, a strand of raven hair peeking through.

He turned away from the woman he once loved towards the door, Rose saw him make his way towards her and ran to hide behind her bed. As he reached the door and pushed it open, Celine swiftly made her way behind the man, fork in hand she stabbed it into the hand that held the weapon making him drop it as he howled in pain.

She scrambled for the gun, quickly stepping back with it firmly in her grasp and aimed it at the intruder "Get out. Now." She threatened, pointing the gun at his torso.

"Come on Cel, you're not really going to use that are you?" he smirked slightly at the sight of the petite red head with the gun in her hands, she said nothing, her hands shaking "you couldn't even if you wanted to, you don't have the guts-"

She cut him off by firing a warning shot into the ceiling before turning the barrel back to him "Don't underestimate me" she growled, her grip now steady on the weapon.

He unexpectedly charges at her, grabbing her hands and pushing them so they're above her head, another shot is fired as plaster crumbles from the roof. He then pulls her hands to the side and slams her wrists on the table behind, releasing her grasp on the gun. Rose watches as her parents fight in a way she's never seen before.

He releases her wrists, as he bends down for the gun Celine raises her foot, the heel of her boot slams into his solar plexus making him stagger backward and leaving him slightly winded. She goes for the gun again but just as her fingers are an inch away from the fire arm, he grabs her hair by the pony tail and yanks her back to the floor with him, making her yell in pain.

Rose, hearing her mother cry out, opens her door, even more, seeing her parents both on the ground in front of her bedroom; her father rises to his feet once more. Feeling the need to assist her mother, Rose grabs the closest thing she could defend herself with – her guitar. She knew her mother was a force to be reckoned with but so was she.

Holding her guitar above her head by the neck, her eyes land on her mother who's clutching her head in pain. With all her might she swings her guitar making it slam into her father across the head making him fall back to the ground. Before either adult can get up, Rose rushes to the gun and kicks it to the other side of the bungalow, it slides beneath a couch.

Her father looks at her, his eyes wild- he clearly wasn't himself. She holds the guitar up once more as a warning, as he makes another advance she swings again but he dodges the attack, she tries once more but he grabs the body with both hands before it can hit him. Yanking it from her grasp, he throws it behind him.

Rose stumbled back in fear, he grasps her neck with his bear sized hands, his grime covered fingers locking off her air supply making her gasp. Her hands come up to his trying to pry him off, he only lifts her from the ground.

"Stay out of this Rosie" he growls

Pain shoots through her neck, her eyes start to water but as she feels her consciousness slipping, her mother sends a punch to the side of his face, releasing her from his grasp. Rose drops to the floor gasping for air and blinking away the clouds from her vision.

He stumbles to the side and reaches up to touch his cheek only to pull away and find blood "you bitch" he snarls

While Rose is preoccupied, Celine runs to the living room trying to get the gun before him, unfortunately, he pushes her aside and gets there first. He quickly crouches down to grab the gun, as his fingers curl around the weapon Celine tackles him to the ground. Flipping him over, her knee is placed painfully in his crotch making him squeal. She throws him another punch for good measure, making blood splatter over the two of them. In a final attempt to grab the gun she wrestles it from his hand.

Rose watches as the two fight for the weapon before she can get to her feet she hears another gun shot and the two bodies still. Bile rises up in the throat as she waits to see who's injured only to witness her father pushing her mother's lifeless body off him. Blood stains her red t-shirt and trails onto the floor, she can smell the cooper from the other side of the room.

A scream finds its way out of her mouth, suddenly she's at her mother's side. Crouching down beside the lifeless body she brushes the stray fiery locks from her face, she looks down at her lifeless green eyes, her porcelain skin slighting bruised and the flush from her cheeks missing.

"M-mom?" she stutters, the sobs that threaten to surface making her stutter, tears spill when she gains no response.

"Celine?" a croaked voice sounded next to her, she raised her head to see the bloodshot eyes of Rodger. He leans over her body, next to Rose "Oh god what have I done? Celine, I'm sorry" His cries fall on deaf ears, he turns to face his daughter, they share the same raven hair and slightly olive skin "Rose?"

She looks at him with such rage and horror it pains him "I'm so sorry Rosie, I never meant for this to happen" he tries to explain himself, he rises to his feet and starts pacing the carpet and muttering to himself as tears stream down his face.

Rose is crying, begging and pleading for her mother to come back as she holds her lifeless body in her arms "Mom please, please come back"

"Rose?" his voice calls to her and she slowly looks at up at her mother's murderer "I promise you'll never see me again" he chokes out, his breaths ragged "I'm sorry Rosie"

Deranged, filled with guilt and still under the influence of several drugs and alcohol, Rosie watches as he raises the barrel of the gun to his mouth and before she can even blink, he pulls the trigger.

Another scream erupts from her, blood cakes the wall and pools on the hardwood floor which now harbor two corpses. Still clutching her mother's lifeless body as she sobs uncontrollably, blood slowly soaking her jeans and coating her hands and arms, she continues to cry.

A white hot rage fills her, all the pain and the tears finally push her over the edge and the house erupts in flames.

 _3 weeks later_

SINCLAIR FAMILY MURDER STILL TO BE SOLVED

 _3 weeks since a bungalow outside the city of Quebec burned to the ground. A case that had been labeled as arson and a homicide are still yet to be solved. Home to Celine Duchennes and her 15-year-old daughter Rose Sinclair, the quaint home had been reduced to nothing but ash, what local authorities had believed to be arson by non-other than Rodger Sinclair, Duchennes' ex-husband and Rose's father – the man was charged with the kidnapping of his daughter several years ago and has been held on a restraining order since the ordeal. He was seen in the area by several witnesses on the evening of the fire; however beliefs of Sinclair's responsibility soon vanished as his body was found amongst the ruin along with his ex- wife's. Witnesses claimed to have heard several gun shots and screaming that very night, it was later confirmed by the coroner that before the fire that the cause of death for Celine Duchennes was a bullet to the chest and the death of Rodger Sinclair seemed to be suicide, a bullet through the mouth. The daughter's body is yet to be found which allows us to believe that she is still alive and makes her the only lead left for the case. Rose Sinclair has yet to be located and hasn't been seen since the morning before the fire by locals. It is possible that she is responsible for the death of her parents and the fire. If anyone sees this girl please call the Quebec Police Department at …._

END OF FLASHBACK

Trust me, I knew how it felt to have the death of innocent lives on your shoulders, I knew what it felt like to disappoint the people you loved; I've just done it all over again.

 ** _Please leave a review! Hope you like the first chapter and enjoyed the introduction of Rose Duchennes!_**


	2. Chapter 2

Walking out of the meeting room, on the way back to my own quarters I saw a large figure in blue at the bottom of the stairs, it was Steve and he had his head in his hands. Changing direction, I carefully and silently tiptoed down the stairs, still barefoot to meet the super soldier I didn't want to startle.

"Steve?" My hands reached out gently to touch his bicep, gaining his attention. His head slowly lifted to meet my eyes, there was a glassy look in his eyes and they were filled with unshed tears "What's wrong?" I kept my voice soft and low.

"Peggy" he muttered, he didn't need to say anything else. That was all I needed to hear, I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, his arms snaked around me slowly, like he was hesitating but soon relaxed into the embrace.

It must've been a strange sight, a 6"2 super soldier and 5"4 girl hugging in the hall, his hulking frame practically swallowing mine but it didn't matter, he was my friend and needed comforting and that's what mattered. It was a few minutes before he pulled away, his eyes dry with no signs of tears shedding but that didn't stop the sadness from showing or the pain.

"I know there's no way I can understand what you're going through but I'm here if you need me, I've gottcha back okay?" I offered, I always had Steve's back and I proved that to him in Washington and I'll do it again, any time, any day.

 _'I'm with you till the end of the line'_ was all that played through his head after Rose said those last words. He almost smiled, it was nice to know that even after all these years there are still friends who care about him like Bucky did, like Rose does.

"Thanks, Rosie" he tried to smile but it fell halfway, his eyes still down cast. I knew he needed to be alone now. No one understood what he was going through, the fact that the only person who meant something to him from his past was now gone. Aside from Bucky but that's a whole other story.

With one last short hug, he left the base, as I watched him walk away his back was still straight, shoulders still squared like he was ready to take on the world but I knew better, Steve may be a super soldier but he was still human.

I headed back to my room only to find myself in the presence of the very billionaire that I'd been trying to avoid since our very recent confrontation. He was holding something in his hand, I couldn't see as he had his back turned to me, I cleared my throat which caught his attention. When he turned I could see that he had been looking at a photograph, one of me, my mother and my late brother – my sweet 16 gift from Fury – the only photograph I have left of my old life.

"Good you're here, you might want to take a seat" he gestured over to my bed and moved to stand at the foot. I raised an eyebrow at his actions but didn't question it and did as asked, curious "Look I don't make a habit out of this but I'm going to give it a shot"

Was this an apology? I really hope it was.

"I know that I crossed the line" he started

"Damn right-" I cut him off only to be cut off myself

"Sh-sh-sh-tu-tu-tu" he tutted, ending my little interruption "Let me get this out or it's never going to happen okay?" without answering, I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to continue "You had good intentions- that I understand" he continued "Basically what I'm trying to say is I've had a really bad day and then throw in the Sokovia accords and all the yelling and whatever, I'm sorry" he stopped for moment "I shouldn't have said those things to you, so we good?"

"Yeah, we're good" I smiled slightly, of course, I was going to forgive him – fighting just made things awkward and I can't deal with awkward right now.

"Okay great" his cocky attitude back in place, like it had never left "Come on; me, Vision, Nat and Rhodey have already signed the accords – it's your turn" he heads to the doorway but stops when he notices I'm not following him "What? Come on, get up we have important Avengers business to do – you are an Avenger or am I mistaken?" his sarcasm rolls off his tongue so easily

"What about Wanda and Sam?" I asked

"Wanda is TBD and Sam – well we all know he's following Cap"

"I don't know Tony…" I hesitated "It's just it's a really big decision, I haven't even read it yet and …" sensing my reluctance to sign Tony spoke up

"Alright how about this, Nat is heading to Vienna in a couple of days for the signing of the accords, go with her and then after you can decide, meet all the important yet albeit somewhat boring people behind it and take it from there?" it was a good plan, I couldn't deny it but I know I'd just make Tony happier if I just signed the stupid thing.

"Okay I'll go to Vienna" I agreed

"Great" he nodded, before swiftly leaving me alone with my thoughts and as if our little 'moment' never happened.

I wasn't expecting an apology from Tony, I never even got an apology when he broke my nose during training once but aside from that we never argued. I was never truly involved in the important decisions that were made for the Avengers, that was mainly Steve and Tony hence the constant bickering and not to mention the resentment Tony feels towards Steve since his father spent most of his childhood looking for the super soldier and not spending time with his son; with any decision made I just tagged along, they're my family so I'd never leave them and they'd never leave me, I defend them till the very end but now the very fabric of our very dysfunctional family seems to be tearing in half and I don't know which side to choose.

I flopped back onto my bed, turning over and burying my head in my sheets letting out an aggressive sigh.

"Someone's angsty" I looked up to see the red-headed assassin leaning on my door frame, a smirk graced upon her red lips

"I believe the word 'stressed' fits better" I replied before shoving my face back into my sheets

"uh-oh better fix that, last time you were 'stressed' you set fire to a punching bag" I felt a dip in the mattress beside me as she spoke

"I know, I'm under control though I promise, besides I'd hate to set my bed on fire again" I muttered, looking back up at her

"Again?" she question, her eyebrows furrowing clearly not remembering the first time

"Long story"

A comfortable silence fell between us, Tasha getting up and walking over to my desk picking up the same photo Tony was holding earlier.

"Wanna talk about it?" she finally asked knowing that's what I need, as an assassin she's a great listener and she could never deny the fact that she also gives pretty good advice.

Being the only two females in the Avengers meant a lot of the time I'd find myself turning to Natasha for advice despite the fact that she'd point out how she had been trained in Russia since the age of 8 to be an assassin so she had no experience in which to give advice from. I didn't care, going to Natasha was easier than going to any of the guys most of the time.

"Yes" I sighed before sitting cross-legged and preparing to spew my thoughts out to her "Tony came in and apologized" I started

"That's actually not surprising" she admitted while still analyzing my photograph, I just shrugged as a slow ripple of heat was making its way over my body

"It's these stupid accords" I groan "I don't even know what to think of them, a part of me would love to lessen the casualties of our missions but if that means being controlled by the UN then I'm not so sure – it's just that after everything that's happened, I don't feel like I can trust them and I'd rather just take the blame and guilt myself if it meant I had control over what's going to happen"

"Basically what Steve said" she muttered in response, putting back the photograph yet keeping a trained eye on me knowing how I used to get when I was emotional.

"We all feel guilty for what happened in New York, Sokovia and Lagos and everything else in-between and the fact that we're aware of our actions and feel this way says something already but at the end of the day if I was given the choice, I'd do it all over again – Loki, HYDRA, Ultron, all of it because despite the casualties we knew that what we were doing was the right thing"

"It seems like you've made your choice" Natasha replied, sitting back down beside me

"Yeah but-"

"But?"

"Tony"

"Of course" she sighed

"He's done so much for me already! Even after Washington! And what do I do? Go side with Steve and stab him in the back!" My head fell down to stare at my hands in my lap, breathing in and out slowly as I feel myself gradually cool down.

There was another pause of silence before the Russian spoke up "Look Rosie, at the end of the day all you can do is go with your gut, you're coming with me to Vienna so you've still got a couple of days – don't worry about it too much and trust me, no one wants the entire building reduced to ashes because you were over thinking" she joked

I nodded my ranting over and my body temperature back to what I called normal. I always felt better after talking to Natasha, she always had such a level head – as she was trained to do but me? I'm a blaze out of control, I can't think straight and my emotions get the best of me which is sometimes a good thing, but not right now. It took me a while to get Natasha to warm up to me and get the advice from her that she now freely gives, we've also become a lot closer since the fall of SHIELD. We were a great team even if it was just the three of us.

She soon left shortly after but not before telling me to pack something 'nice' for Vienna. The rest of the afternoon had passed by painfully slowly, I spent most of that time putting away my new purchases and reading which made me accidently nap through what would've been dinner.

Checking my sleek smartphone, the screen lit up and the holographic clock sprung up, causing me to shield my eyes; I could faintly make out the time to be 11:30 pm. _Well, there's no way I'll be sleeping tonight_ I thought to myself, I pushed the covers off myself before rubbing the sleep from my eyes and heading to the kitchen. As I made my way into the kitchen I met Wanda who seemed to be lost in thought while nursing a hot drink.

"Wanda?" I called out, flicking the light switch on which startled her

"Oh…hello Rose" she turned over her shoulder to look at me from the island in the middle of the kitchen, I made my way over to the cabinet I hoped stored some hot chocolate powder "Can't sleep?" she asked

"Just woke up actually, I accidently fell asleep a little too early" I explained while trying to reach the hot chocolate on the top shelf only to see a faint red glow surround the tub and have it float down in front of me "Thanks" I smiled at Wanda from over my shoulder

She just shrugged, her eyes returning to the mug in front of her; Wanda and I are pretty close even though it had only been a year since Sokovia, we were close in age and we'd both lost our parents and our siblings. I could definitely relate.

"The accords?" I asked while making myself a steaming mug of chocolaty goodness

"That obvious?" she retorted, a humorless smile set on her face

"Yes" I deadpanned, sitting down in front of her

"I just don't know what to think" she sighed, finally opening up a little, it always took a little persuading to get Wanda to open up.

"Me too" this I also could relate to, after everything that had happened today it was safe to say my mind was fried, I silently stirred the hot chocolate, my mind beginning to wander

"Sometimes I just wish Pietro was here to help me" that snapped me out of it, I don't think she realized she'd said this aloud, the room was quiet enough for me to hear her silent plea for her brothers return.

"I bet he'd know exactly what to say" I thoughtlessly added, only to see her shoulders slump more in memory of her sibling; sometimes I really was tactless, a moron actually.

"Look" I sighed, trying to fix my previous statement "I'm no Pietro, and I know no one could ever replace him, I know that but I also know that it gets better, it's not easy but something like that shouldn't be…." I paused before standing with my mug in my hands, the heat which would be scalding to most soothing to touch for me "And as for the accords, a friend told me to go with my gut and that seems like pretty good advice" I shrugged feeling somewhat sheepish, I hoped that helped.

She didn't seem as sad anymore which made me feel much better, she nodded thanks before we both headed back to our rooms which were adjacent from one another. Once I returned to my own, I sat at my desk and grabbed my phone to check my notifications. Nothing.

No texts, no emails, no tweets, no nothing. I thought about texting Steve to see how he was but then thought against it as he was probably asleep or getting ready for the funeral in London, my eyes shifted to the end of my desk where a brown folder had been placed that I hadn't seen before. Holding the file in my hand I opened the front page noticing it was a copy of the Sokovia Accords, probably given to me by Tony. So I spent the rest of the evening and early morning going through the Accords thoroughly before packing for Vienna.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony had a jet take off the day before the signing of the accords was to happen in Vienna, Steve had taken another jet earlier this morning with Sam to prepare for Peggy's funeral which was also happening tomorrow. Stark Jets could get you anywhere in half the time thanks to Tony's new designs so travelling never seemed to be a problem, not that I liked it all that much yet what would've been and 8 ½ hour flight to Vienna was reduced to almost 5 hours. I had packed everything I thought I'd need, laptop, phone, my copy of the accords, smart clothes for the next day and of course under cover clothing and my suit, along with several weapons just in case because as an Avenger you should always be prepared and I had a feeling that this time I'll need to be.

Once we landed we took a private car to a pretty modern hotel which was conveniently located very close to the UN building, we had a shared room with two double beds, an en-suite, a flat screen tv and mini bar.

"Ooh, mini bar" I smirked, heading over and grabbing a mini bottle of rum only to have Natasha snatch it out of my hands "hey…"

"You're literally made out of fire and you want to drink alcohol?" she looked at me like I was crazy

"It not what you think" I sighed "I just burn off the alcohol, I don't explode or anything stupid, I can't even get drunk – we've tested it" I explained, remembering that when I was 18, Tony suggested that I tried alcohol to see the effects it would have on my body when I consumed it, Pepper was of course totally against the idea because the legal drinking age was 21 in the US – not that Tony cared, it was for science, which was his argument.

The alcohol burned as soon as it touched my tongue, showing a flame on the surface, in fact, the alcohol burned out so quickly that what would be coconut rum to most, for me was just coconut juice, it wouldn't even enter my stomach with any alcohol, I'd burn it immediately.

Having explained all that, I grabbed the small bottle of alcohol from her before pouring a bit onto my tongue, showing a flame "see?" I smirked once the flame had died, the red head raised her brows as she was clearly impressed

"Well there goes anyone's plans for getting you wasted"

The two of us spent the rest of the night analyzing the 'panel' which would be present during the ratifying of the accords, which included King T'Chaka of Wakanda and his son Prince T'Challa – we'd hopefully start a friendship that could secure a bond between the country of Wakanda and The Avengers. The aim was to speak to as many national representatives and form 'bonds' with them so that when it came to discussing missions with each other we'd be able to come to a mutual agreement faster and more so on our terms, as Natasha said 'keep one hand on the wheel'.

The day died quickly and I was eager to shake off the jet lag that had been nagging me for most of the day which resulted in an early night and me leaving Natasha to do some more work, whatever that would be.

When morning came I found Natasha's bed empty and all that was left was a note.

 _Be back soon,_

 _Tasha_

Leaving it at that, knowing Natasha would return I set about getting ready for what I knew would be a long day….

Steve Rogers was attending the funeral of Agent Peggy Carter, a founder of SHIELD and his first love. The ceremony was held in London and was beautiful and traditional, the casket was covered in the Union Jack, a way to symbolize that the person who had passed was of great importance to the United Kingdom. The entire church was filled with people, many of great importance as Peggy Carter was a woman of great influence, among the attendees was her niece Sharon Carter.

"Margret Carter was known to most as a founder of SHIELD but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy, she had a photograph in her office…Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK, as a kid that was pretty cool but it was a lot to live up to which is why I never told anyone we were related. I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. She said compromise where you can, and where you can't – don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right, even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say 'No, you move'"

Once the ceremony had ended he found himself stood in the aisle staring at the picture that had been put up of Peggy in her prime, her days serving in the SSR – when they first met.

He was lost in his thoughts and mourning till the faint click of high heels sounded from behind him, he turned to be greeted by his fellow Avenger and friend Natasha Romanoff, the two had been through a lot together after the downfall of SHIELD.

"When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone. When I found out she was alive, I was just lucky to have her" he voiced his thoughts to her

"She had you back too" the red head replied with a small smile on her face

They stood in silence for a moment before the subject changed "Who signed?" he asked

"Tony, Rhodey, Vision" she answered without hesitation

"Clint?"

"Says he's retired," Natasha said, a slight smirk gracing her lips – knowing him the retirement wouldn't last long

"Wanda?"

"TBD, I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords, there's plenty of room on the jet" she offered, her tone soft and friendly – different to her usual "Just because it's the path of least resistance doesn't mean it's the wrong path. Staying together is more important than how we stay together"

"What are we giving up to do it?" he shakes his head unconvinced "I'm sorry Nat, I can't sign it"

"I know"

"What about Rosie?" he asked, his thoughts turning to the youngest member of their team

"She's….confused, to say the least, she's waiting for me in Vienna for the signing and should've made her decision by then" she answered, so she hadn't signed yet? That brought some relief to the super soldier "You've rubbed off on her, you know?"

Steve looked at the assassin questioningly "what do you mean?"

"She told me that if she had the choice to do everything all over again, she'd do it the same- Loki, HYDRA, Ultron, all of it because she knew that at the end of the day, we'd be doing the right thing – sound like someone you know?" she finished with a knowing smirk, facing him.

If what Steve had just heard from Natasha was true and if he knew Rose the way he thought he did then she wouldn't sign the Accords and the idea warmed him, she really did have his back until a thought struck him.

"What about Stark, how does he feel about her in all this?"

Natasha sighed, this was slightly harder to explain. Everyone knew that Rose felt a special attachment to the billionaire, after all, he was the one to take her in when she had no home – under Fury's watch of course but still, he helped train her and control the powers that were slowly destroying her and you wouldn't think a teenager with a temper and an egotistical genius could get along but somehow, miraculously they did – maybe it was the similar sense of humour? Who knows? Although he'll never openly admit it or show it, it seemed as if over time that Tony had grown a slight attachment to her too.

"She's involved whether he likes it or not, she's one of us so he believes signing is the right thing to do and is trying to convince her – that's why she's coming to Vienna- but she's conflicted, I mean for someone so troubled she sure does get attached and that's what's bothering her, she feels –"

"Like she needs to be loyal to Stark?" Steve answered, completely understanding. Stark had done a lot for the teenager, for all of them.

"Yeah, but she's not sure if she's willing to sacrifice her beliefs and freedom of choice because of him"

Steve pondered this for a moment, he knew this was a decision she had to make on her own and none of them could help her.

"So what brought you here anyway?" he changed the subject, his eyes returning to the image of his fallen love

"I didn't want you to be alone" she states before embracing him in a hug.

VIENNA - AUSTRIA

Natasha had arrived a few hours before the Accords were to be ratified, I still hadn't made up my mind which bothered me greatly and made me nervous. I had almost forgotten that all of SHIELDS aka HYDRAS files had been leaked on the internet the previous year, so everyone knew who we were, who she really was. Tony managed to pull what he could from the internet which helped but everyone still knew that the pyrotechnic Avenger was a teenage girl called Rose Duchenne. This caused some controversy, like why an agency like SHIELD would allow a teenager fight for the greater good of the world instead of doing homework; despite this I also managed to grow a significant fan base, particularly teenage girls who relished in the fact that someone like them could be an Avenger and fight alongside some of the world's mightiest heroes.

This meant that when arriving at the United Nations complex, we had been privately ushered through a secured entrance and service elevator in order to avoid the press and the public. While in the elevator I couldn't help but fiddle with the ring on my right ring finger. We exited the service elevator into a hall which leads down to the main elevator, Natasha and I following the UN security; Natasha looked beautiful as always, her purple suit clean and pressed to perfection, her hair curled just as and rested neatly on her shoulders; I followed behind her, my baby pink pants and white blouse a stark contrast to the assassin, at least we were both wearing heels – a little impractical but we both could still kick ass in a pair of stilettos.

The short ride in the elevator brought us to the room which the meeting would take place and be broadcast around the world. As soon as we went to our seats an assistant makes her way over to us with a document to sign, my eyes dart across the room and I quickly take in all the possible exits and possible threats because, despite all the security, I wouldn't be surprised if someone would try something dangerous.

As my eyes wandered, they landed on a tall, broad African male in a sharp suit making his way towards us. If my knowledge served me correctly, he was the Prince of Wakanda.

"I supposed neither of us is used to the spotlight?" his question was directed to Natasha who was stood close by my side.

"Well it's not always so flattering" she jested

"You seem to be doing alright so far, considering your last trip to Capitol Hill, I wouldn't think you'd be particularly comfortable in this company, and you Ms. Duchenne being so young"

"Well we're not" Natasha answered for the both of us, I smiled lightly at the Prince. He had an aura about him, like there was more to him than meets the eye, almost like he was dangerous – yet he was a Prince so of course, that would be ridiculous right?

 _"There are people like us all over the world kid"_

 _"Really? Like who? Where?" I asked eagerly, it was nice to know I wasn't alone_

 _"Well I heard once, there's a guy called the Black Panther, he protects his people from invaders somewhere in Africa and there's a rumor going that he's almost like a king to them, there's also another girl that can…."_

I was snapped out of my little daze when the King of Wakanda spoke to me as Natasha had elbowed me in the ribs.

"Forgive me, I lost myself a little" I started, now back in reality "King T'Chaka, it's an honor to meet you" I nodded my head respectfully to the older man

"Thank you" he smiled slightly "Thank you for agreeing to all of this, I'm sad to hear that Captain Rogers will not be joining us today"

"Yes, so am I"

"Me too" I muttered slightly under my breath

'If everyone could please be seated, this assembly is now in session' the usher prompted us all to take our seats.

"That is the future calling" Prince T'Challa voiced "Such a pleasure," he said to us before turning to his father

We both left the father and son and made our way to our seats. Natasha and I sat close to the front, we were surrounded by people from both sides and had a good view of the podium, not to some mention some of Vienna's lovely architecture. As I was seated, I subconsciously twisted the ring on my finger and watched as the King of Wakanda made his way to the podium to speak at the UN and his son, stood far from his right. I could tell it was more of a precautionary measure than a way to display himself as the Prince next to the King, a way so that if anything were to happen, he could be the first to get to his father.

"When stolen Wakandan Vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy. Those men and women killed in Nigeria were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows. We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join. I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative. Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace –"

My eyes flicked to T'Challa as a shout was heard from the window and before the King could utter another word, the prince charged towards him screaming "EVERYBODY GET DOWN"

On instinct, I grabbed the person to my left and pulled him down under the table as Natasha did the same on her side. The explosion shook the building and glass shattered everywhere, smoke and flames filled the room and my eyes shifted, enabling me to see. Leaving the shelter of the table, I stood to face the fire and raised my hands, the heat licking my finger tips and I brought the few flames down to small flickers and cleared out the smoke. My hands raised, I walked around the table and down the aisle to push the ash away from the civilians inside, my heels crunching the shards of glass with each step. As the air cleared I saw Prince T'Challa as he held his father's body in his arms, turning away from the scene I looked around and saw a number of injured people, Natasha pulled herself away from the table and made her way over to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked me, giving me a once over to check for injuries

"I'm fine but…" I trailed off, women and men were crying and some were unconscious or dead, everything around us was destroyed "Are you okay?" I asked her

"I'm fine, come on let's get everybody out"

I began leading those who were well enough to walk out of the back emergency exit while Natasha assisted those who were wounded and waiting for the authorities. Soot was still falling from the sky as they stepped outside and within minutes, several ambulances and the fire brigade was here along with what seemed to be a private police force. My ears were still ringing from the blast yet I ignored the paramedics who insisted I get checked over, I knew I'd be fine, I had endured worse. Much worse.

Instead, I headed straight to the news vans that were still outside, God knows this would be a field day and would already be all over the world. The first one I reached was for the BBC in England, several camera men were talking animatedly to several police officers, pointing at the screen. Before I could get any closer one of the police officers noticed me and ushered me back over to the paramedics.

In less than half an hour the entire building had been evacuated including the surrounding areas, I sat silently on the road side after managing to avoid the paramedics. Pulling out my phone I kept an eye on every news update surrounding the attack until a notification popped up on my phone.

BREAKING NEWS: SUSPECT ATTACKER FOR UN BOMBING HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED

Clicking on the link immediately I was taken to a live BBC broadcast _"…Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, The Winter Soldier, infamous HYDRA agent that has been linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations, anyone with information…"_

I exited the video before it could continue, clutching my phone tightly I dropped my eyes to the ground, thinking. This didn't make any sense, why would Bucky blow up the UN? After saving Steve, running from HYDRA and being in hiding for nearly 2 years? The Winter Soldier was a ghost, so even if he did plant the bomb, they wouldn't know about it – showing his face, blowing his cover was just like asking to be found. And I know that's exactly what he doesn't want. He's not thinking straight.

Making the rash decision, I stood to my feet, slipping passed the authorities, paramedics, the news vans and anyone else that happened to be around, I kept my eyes out for Natasha who thankfully was pre occupied with the paramedics, I managed to weasel my way out of the commotion and towards my hotel. Dialling a number, I walked as quickly yet inconspicuously as I could. Three rings before anyone answered.

"Rosie?" I heard Steve's voice on the other line "I was just about to call you, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, did you see the news?" I asked, thankfully nobody I passed noticed me, they were all too busy staring at their screens, getting information on the attack or calling loved ones.

"Yeah just now"

"I'm coming with you" I interrupted him before he could continue talking as I neared the hotel, quickly turning down another street.

"What?"

"I know you, Steve, I know you're going to try and find him, I thought about it, after everything you told me and everything in Washington! I want to help you" I explained, careful not to draw any attention to myself with my slightly frantic whispers down the phone line

There was a pause down the line, I could make out bits of distant speech like there were people in the background, I heard a sigh before he spoke.

I calmly walked passed the entrance to the hotel to avoid the front desk by slipping through the service entrance instead.

"Are you sure you want to do this Rosie? This might get us into a lot of trouble, especially with the accords" he tried again, I knew he was trying to talk me out of this but what I also knew was that he needs my help, at least I like to think he does.

"Steve…." I sighed, before narrowly avoiding maids that had almost caught me in the service entrance, I hid behind a pillar as they passed, the two of them seemed to be discussing the attack, the words 'Winter Solider' giving it away.

"Rosie…." He tried again

"Steve don't make me stand and watch while they try and destroy him again" I pleaded, I wanted to protect Bucky yet even though I'd only met the guy once when he tried to kill me, I couldn't help but think that even though I couldn't save my brother all those years ago – maybe I could help save Bucky.

"We'll be in Vienna within the hour, be ready"

"Aye, Aye, Captain" I hung up the phone before coming out of my hiding place.

I needed a disguise, the whole world knew I was in Vienna with Natasha but if I wasn't seen with her or found at all then I know they'd come looking for me and they'd be able to find me before I could even step foot outside of this hotel again, not to mention the questions I'd get from the workers here since I'm covered in dirt and ash. I quickly made my way through a narrow hallway and went through a door on my right that read 'Locker Room'. One of the things Natasha taught me in training was how to hide in plain sight, I saw a rack with maid's uniforms hanging and an idea came to mind. I grabbed one of the hangers and quickly began to strip my clothes off, my pink pants, white blouse, Jimmy Choo heels and leaving my phone and room key to the side. I slipped on the maids dress over my head, it was a little small but it didn't matter as I'd be in it for no longer than two minutes because I'd use it to hide from the security cameras. I glanced in the cracked mirror across from me that hung on the wall above a dirty sink and saw my face. I was covered in soot and even a little bit of blood from wounds that had already healed over, my hair was sticking up in several directions and decorated with shards of glass. Using my blouse I ran it under the tap and wiped away all the dirt and makeup from my face and then shook the glass from my hair before quickly tying it in a neat bun to match the maids I saw earlier. I grabbed the rest of my clothes and held them firmly in my hands, they burned quickly as the ashes and remains fell from my hands and into the sink and washing away leaving no evidence of me being here.

I knew I couldn't take the clothes I had brought with me, Natasha no doubt memorized the clothes I brought as a disguise in case of something exactly like this were to happen and she needed to find me. Instead, I turned to a closed locker and with my hands, broke the lock off, opening the steel door I found a worn out blue hoodie, a white tank, a pair of black leggings and a pair of black sneakers and an old backpack. In a flash, I had emptied the content of the backpack into the locker and filled it with those clothes, leaving my Jimmy Choos in their place. She could keep them or sell them and buy new clothes, either way, those shoes were worth 10 times than the stuff she had and I could always just buy another pair.

I slipped on her old sneakers, they were a size too big but they'll do. I closed the locker and grabbed the backpack with my phone and room key and made my way out of the locker room, keeping my head down as I passed other workers and made my way down the hall, I turned into what looked like a storage room and held a fully stocked maids cart. I hid the backpack under the towels and pulled it out of the storage room, passing more workers as I did so who were oblivious to me and my actions.

I exited the Staffing area and entered a back hall of the hotel, finding the nearest elevator I took it up to the 20th floor. Less than 10 minutes from entering the hotel, I was standing in my shared room with the cart by my side and not a single person noticed me, however, I'm sure Natasha noticed I was missing soon if she hasn't already.

I grabbed my bag from the corner of my room and took out my weapons and my suit, including a couple of pieces of Stark Tech that I had 'borrowed'. Having been kidnapped, an ex-fugitive, a runaway and trained by the greatest assassins in the world and the leading agency in espionage makes you very prepared. Or paranoid.

I changed from my maid's uniform into the clothes I also 'borrowed' and silently apologized to the lady I took them from. The leggings were a little long and the tank was a little tight but I was beyond caring at this point. I pulled on the hoodie before shoving my suit, staff, 2 guns and tech into my newly acquired backpack and closed the backpack, swinging it onto my shoulders, adjusting the straps so it held on tightly; all I needed to do was leave without being seen.

Leaving my room key behind, I had left the building through the window and climbed down onto the balcony below, this room wasn't empty, however, and as I pushed open the balcony doors I could hear a man singing in Italian from in the shower. I silently tiptoed out of the room without a sound, before turning down the hall and taking the emergency exit stairs instead of the elevator, I ran from the 19th floor to the ground floor, picking up speed as a when and jumping several steps and over banisters. By the time I made it to the ground floor, I pulled my hood up and made my way out of the hotel only to hear my phone ring. I hoped it was Steve but it was Natasha, living with Tony had its perks, which meant when I got a new phone – he'd upgrade it Stark style and since we both love our privacy, mine came with 'Stealth Mode', I could receive calls and texts, use wifi and all the good stuff without anyone being able to track me. I was always in 'Stealth Mode' like the way some people are always on 'Silent'.

I ignored the call and continued to walk away from the hotel, as I walked I saw a group of teenage girls heading towards me. I pulled out a small silver tab from my pocket, this piece of Stark Tech allows me to copy the image of someone's face and have it turn into a holographic mask and hide my own face. I grabbed a couple after Natasha told me how she used one to get into Pierce's office as a member of the World Security Council. I held it up quickly and clicked the tiny button on the side which took an image of one of the blonde teenagers as she passed, I stuck the tab to the back of my neck which activated the hologram, turning from a dark haired, green eyed Canadian to a blonde, blue eyed Austrian in seconds. I pulled my hood down to seem less suspicious now that I was in my full disguise, as I made it to the pelican crossing my phone rang once more. This time, it was Steve.

"How far are you?" I asked him as I answered the phone, waiting for the cars to stop so I could cross the road

"Not long now, I'm sending you the location of the rendezvous point – it's not too far from the UN Building, a couple blocks or so, meet me and Sam so we can all bring Bucky in together"

"Alright" I made my way across the road and towards the UN Building, bring Bucky in? I wonder what he had planned

"Rose, remember that ring that Tony gave you for Christmas?" Steve asked

"Yeah" I stopped in my tracks slightly before continuing on, not knowing where he was going with this

"Are you still wearing it?"

"Yeah?"

"Take it off"

"What? Why?"

"Because it's a tracking device, I'm sorry Rose but you've gotta hide it – we can't have anyone finding you before we can get to Bucky"

"Knowing Tony he'd just try and bring me home" I muttered, my eyes glancing to the ring on my free hand, he'd been tracking me for nearly 3 years?

"Exactly"

"I'll see you soon" I muttered before hanging up, keeping the phone in one hand as I followed the directions to the rendezvous point, I slipped the ring off, holding it lightly between my fingertips before dropping it into an old ladies purse who was heading in the opposite direction. My heart ached a little as I did, I'd worn that ring every day for nearly 3 years I didn't really want to part with it but I had no choice, it was too risky.

FLASHBACK

It had been less than a year since the Battle of New York, SHIELD had moved to Washington and since I was one of their 'Agents' I had to move with them. I didn't want to, I was enjoying my vacation time in Miami with Tony and Pepper while the Stark Tower was being turned into the Avengers Tower and I don't think Pepper wanted me to either but Tony had been acting weird after the battle, weirder than usual. We all were changed by it, myself included but none of us knew what Tony went through when he flew into that portal, whatever it was definitely took a toll on him and Pepper and I could see it plain as day. I had moved to Washington a couple of months after the battle, Steve went back straight away though, ready to serve his country with the best team SHIELD had to offer. They let me have an extra-long 'summer vacation' as they put it, so when October rolled around – I moved from Miami to Washington.

Fury thought the vacation time had made me lazy and sloppy, so to whip me back into shape not only was I being grilled by Natasha but I had a new trainer and he was Steve's right-hand man in STRIKE TEAM, his name was Brock Rumlow and he was ruthless. Rumlow beat me in to shape, repeatedly and very hard but I liked it, his methods were a little unorthodox, there was no playing fair with Rumlow, you had to play dirty to win. There was something dark about Rumlow but I couldn't quite put my finger on it yet it came out clearly during training – I think sometimes he'd forget he was supposed to teach me and not actually want to kill me, he blurred that line a few times.

When I wasn't training or studying on the base, Rumlow somehow convinced Alexander Pierce to allow me onto missions with the STRIKE TEAM, he believed being out on the field occasionally will be a better way to put my training to use and that I could 'finally do some work around here' as he so eloquently put it. Steve wasn't pleased at first yet, he, Natasha and I managed to build a good dynamic between the three of us, Natasha would deal with technology, Steve would take out the leader and I had followed behind, watching his back. But when I wasn't on a mission, you could find me at Steve's apartment.

Neither of us knew where Natasha lived, she kept everything a secret from us as it was pretty much in her nature but we didn't mind. I spent a lot of time at Steve's apartment just enjoying each other's company. That Christmas I didn't hear from Tony which worried me, I rang him several times only to find out that his Miami Mansion had been blown off the side of the cliff it was built on; I was going to head straight to Miami as soon as I found out but Fury stopped me before I could, apparently Rhodey was with him and Fury would send more backup if needed and as of right now it wasn't necessary, that including Steve convincing me to stay meant I spent most of that 25th worrying and stressed.

The morning of 26th December, I had stayed in the guest room of Steve's apartment as he insisted to keep an eye on me and didn't want me spending Christmas in my room alone at SHIELD; when I woke up and finally made my drowsy way to the kitchen, Steve was already there still in Pyjamas with a cup of hot chocolate in his hand and one waiting for me, extra hot. I gratefully took the hot chocolate he made for me and sat opposite him at the kitchen table, a large yawn escaping my mouth.

"Sleep well?" he smirked from behind his mug

"Very funny" I rolled my eyes until they zeroed in on the fire extinguisher that was left next to the table, we had an incident in the middle of the night, all my tossing and turning caused me to set my bed on fire, as soon as the fire alarm went off, Steve charged in with a fire extinguisher putting both me and the bed out – It was safe to say I hadn't slept well at all.

"Now I need to buy new sheets" he muttered, his hair wasn't as neat as it usually was, it fell over his forehead brushing his eyebrows slightly.

"I'll just bring some fireproof sheets next time" I shrugged, he nodded in agreement as we both started waking up slightly. We were soon pulled out of the silence by a knock at the door.

Steve looked at me with furrowed brows, the two of us wondering who it could be, he placed his mug on his coaster before heading to the door. I craned my head trying to get a look at who was at the door but his hulking frame blocked my view, instead he bent down and picked up what seemed to be a large Christmas present, the red a gold wrapping paper was vibrant but what stood out the most was the giant green bow that adorned the top of the box.

Steve set the box down by the small tree the two of us had built a couple of weeks ago with the help of Natasha and Maria Hill. Before he could open it I stopped him, my training coming into play. I pulled out my phone from the pocket in my robe and set it to scan the box for anything dangerous and hostiles.

"All clear" I nodded, allowing him to open the box

Once Steve lifted the lid a hologram popped up from within the box showing a very worn and beaten Tony Stark. He had a black eye, bruised cheeks, bust lip, several cuts on his face, his hair was matted with sweat and dirt and his arm was in a sling. He was a mess, I could feel my hands burn at the sight.

"Alright let's get this over with" he muttered before turning to face forwards "Hey there Cap…this is just a holographic video by the way so don't bother trying to talk to me cause I won't hear you – thankfully" Steve smiled and little and rolled his eyes at the comment. "If I'm right, which I always am, Rose should be at your place for Christmas so this is for both of you – before you ask, yes I'm fine, this-"he proceeds to point at his face with the hand that isn't in the sling "is just a minor issue, it's been resolved but anyways onto the what's in the box, Cap you have been upgraded so you're welcome. I designed you a new suit, it's more durable, breathable like Rose's new suit, it's also less colourful, more discreet which you know I think looks _way_ cooler, there's also a new pair of boots, memory foam for comfort thought you might need that, guys, yours age – 95- have issues with bunions so it'll help with that and the helmet is more shock absorbent so hopefully every time someone hits you, you'll lose less brain cells because let's face it we can't afford to have you lose anymore" I couldn't help but laugh slightly at the comment, despite being badly beaten, Tony was still Tony and that made me feel a lot better, he's been through a lot but I know it takes way more than a few hits to bring Tony Stark down.

"So enjoy the new suit, kick some ass and all that good Avenger stuff…right, Rose – a gift is there for you too, it's not much but Pepper thought you might like it-"

"Don't believe a word he say's Rose" another voice played through the hologram that belonged to Pepper Potts "It was all him"

"I'll have you know it was not all me, Pepper had a…..12% involvement in your Christmas present" he continued "Anyway it's called a Fire Opal, not worth a lot but you know I just thought since you pretty much breathe fire, it would be a good fit plus it's also the same colour as your eyes when you use your abilities which are…you know cool" he sighed, bringing his hand up to rub his eyes, I picked up the red leather box and opened it to reveal a beautiful, vibrant orange, fiery gemstone. It was square cut and set on a gold braided band.

"So enjoy your gifts and Merry Christmas, I'll see you soon" Tony turned to the face the front once more and after a quick smirk, the hologram faded away.

Steve and I stood still for a moment before he reached into the box, pulling aside the tissue paper and grabbing the suit. The red and white stripes had been removed from the waist, two silver stripes were added next to the either side of the star that stretched across his shoulders. I thought it did look better. As Steve continued to examine his suit, I flopped down onto the couch that was behind me, the two of us had long forgotten our hot chocolate as we stared at our gifts.

"It's beautiful" I muttered as I pulled the ring out from the box and slipped it on my right ring finger, perfect fit.

"He's really out done himself," Steve said as he sat next to me, his suit still in his hands

"I wonder what happened" I looked at him, the majority of my worries had faded after watching the hologram of Tony, seeing that he was okay.

"We can call him later, by the looks of that hologram, the guy needs a lot of rest" Steve reassured me.

Times like this, even while battling his enemies and inner demons, when he should be resting, Tony doesn't forget about Christmas. Tony doesn't forget about us. I wore that ring every day.

 **I'd love some constructive critisim! Please Review :) Also does the whole 'No romance' thing bother you guys or are you okay with it?**


End file.
